Chapter Eighteen
Maci
The detention center was nothing like Lemon Grove Estates. There were no fresh flowers, no polished hardwood floors, and no scent of lemon candles.
All I saw were gray walls, concrete floors, and locked doors. Every sound echoed, even my footsteps.
I signed the visitor log and sat beneath a flickering television mounted high in the corner.
The correctional officer barely glanced at me. I folded my hands in my lap.
For the first time since I moved into the neighborhood, I wasn’t pretending. There would be no Thursday smiles today.
The heavy steel door buzzed open. Camille walked in, dressed in an orange jumpsuit. For a moment, I barely recognized her.
Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. She didn’t have on the makeup she always wore. Dark circles ringed her swollen eyes. She looked exhausted.
She sat down across from me and picked up the phone immediately.
"Maci."
I picked mine up.
"You came."
"I told you I would."
A tear escaped before she could stop it.
"They denied my bond."
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"They keep asking how my phone ended up near the crash."
She gave a bitter laugh.
"They think I dug up my own flowerbeds and been harassing myself.”
She looked directly into my eyes.
"I didn't do any of it."
I met her gaze and held it.
"You deserve the chance to tell your side."
She took a slow breath.
"Thank you."
We sat quietly for a moment.
"I've been trying to figure out who hates me this much."
She looked down at the metal table.
"I've replayed every conversation, every friendship, every disagreement I've ever had."
She glanced back at me.
"I can't think of anyone."
I didn't answer.
"If I made mistakes," her voice cracked. "I've apologized. If I hurt someone, I never meant to."
We sat in silence again, the moment stretching between us.
"If I don't come home soon." I waited. "Will you keep the Lemon Pound Cake Club together?"
Her question lingered between us.
"The women need each other."
"They do."
"I've been thinking about it ever since they brought me here."
She managed a faint smile.
"They already trust you, and I trust you."
My chest tightened.
"I know it's a lot to ask. But I don't want everything we've built to disappear because of this."
I nodded.
"I'll keep everyone together."
She looked relieved.
"Thank you."
The officer said visiting time was almost over.
Camille gripped the phone tighter.
"When you see the girls, tell them I love them."
"I will."
"And tell them," Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "I would never harm one of my own."
Before I could answer, the officer put a gentle hand on her shoulder. Camille stood up.
"So you'll come back?"
I offered a soft smile.
"If you need me."
She nodded.
"I do."
She walked out through the steel door. I stayed in my seat until everyone else was gone. Then I hung up the phone.
◆◆◆
That evening, the women came to my house. We sat around my dining table, speaking in low voices. Danielle was the first to look at me.
"How is she?"
"She's scared."
Simone lowered her eyes.
"I can't stop thinking about her sitting in there alone."
Jade sighed.
"I still don't know what to believe."
No one spoke up for Camille, but no one blamed her, either. Everyone seemed torn between loyalty and doubt. I folded my hands on the table.
"There was something Camille asked me to do."
They looked at me.
"She wants me to lead the Lemon Pound Cake Club until she comes home."
Danielle smiled through tears.
"That sounds like Camille."
"It does."
I paused and took a deep breath.
"But before I agree to anything, I think you all deserve to know something."
The room fell silent.
"Camille wasn't the first president."
“I mean, we know that. The club has been around for years.”
People glanced around the table, looking confused.
"I'm talking about recent years. This club was started to help women who had nowhere else to go."
"It wasn't meant for revenge. It wasn't meant to settle personal scores. And it sure wasn't meant to hurt innocent people."
Jade frowned.
"What are you saying?"
"What I'm saying is," I picked my words carefully. "Years ago, someone used the Lemon Pound Cake Club for something it was never meant for."
Danielle blinked.
"Camille?"
I waited before answering. Instead, I just said,
"Sometimes the biggest danger isn't from people outside the sisterhood. It's the one leading the group."
The room grew quiet.
Simone finally whispered,
"Who was the innocent person?"
I stared down at my hands.
"I'm not ready to answer that."
Not yet.
◆◆◆
The last car pulled out of my driveway just after nine. I finished cleaning up and started getting ready for bed.
A soft knock sounded at the front door. When I opened it, Miss Evelyn stood on the porch, her purse tucked under her arm.
"Sorry Bingo kept me, but I figured you'd still be awake."
"I don't think sleep is coming anytime soon."
She nodded and came inside. We sat together in the living room. Miss Evelyn pulled a small black hard drive from her purse and placed it on the coffee table between us.
I frowned.
"What's this?"
"I've been holding onto it."
I picked it up and turned it over in my hand.
"What’s on this?"
"The one thing everyone thought was gone."
My eyes met hers.
"Why now?"
"Because it's time."
I glanced down at the hard drive again.
"You could've turned this over years ago."
"I could have."
"You could've stopped all of this before it started."
"I could have."
This old lady was something else. I watched her face closely.
"Then why didn't you?"
Miss Evelyn's expression softened.
"Because I made a promise to her if anything was to happen. She knew enough to be afraid."
I held the hard drive a little tighter.
"You smiled in Camille's face all these years."
"I sure did." Miss Evelyn exhaled slowly. She had been waiting for someone to come searching for the truth.
I held her gaze.
"You knew I'd come."
She nodded slowly.
"I hoped."
A gentle smile crossed her face.
"I just didn't think you'd come the way you did."
Honestly, I hadn’t expected it either. She nodded at the hard drive.
"When you're ready, you'll know exactly what to do with it."
I put it in my pocket. Tomorrow was almost here. Soon, everything would start to make sense.